Windows Vista prevents users from playing high-definition content

Content protection features in Windows Vista are preventing users from playing high-definition video and affecting system performance, according to experts.

Vista requires premium content like HD videos to be downgraded in quality when set to high-quality outputs. While Microsoft’s intent is to protect commercial content commercial content, more home movies are starting to be shot in high-definition leaving users unable to play their footage.

"This is not commercial HD content being blocked, this is the users' own content," said computer researcher, Peter Gutmann at the USENIX Security Symposium in Boston. "The more premium content you have, the more output is disabled.

Gutmann argued that Microsoft placed content protection above all other priorities when building Vista, perhaps to gain favor and money from Hollywood. Microsoft should have instead focused this effort on security features that protect users.

Via
PC World

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